A day after the death of their beloved owner, Abe Pollin, the Wizards tried to get refocused Wednesday on getting their season back on track following a heartfelt first step, a 108-107 win over Philadelphia last night that was more about Pollin than anything else.
The nuts and bolts first: Caron Butler still wasn’t practicing. He’s aiming to make a return Friday in Miami but said it would be a game-time decision. Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson both had minor wraps on their right and left hands, respectively, but it wasn’t limiting them putting up shots at the end of practice.
Butler, meanwhile, was one player that many of us hadn’t gotten a chance to talk with about Pollin yesterday. He was there for Pollin’s last public appearance last month.
“It was great coming into the arena and sitting with Mrs. Pollin and Mr. Pollin,” said Butler. “Bike for the Heart, it was unbelieveable to meet so many people and spread the message about heart awareness and heart disease and how it affects our community. Mr. Pollin was in awe that I was willing to do it, ride a bike around in a suit. Then flew me back to Toronto on his private plane so I could be with the team. That was great.”
Butler also related one of his fondest memories. “I had so many because I had a great relationship with him and had a direct line to him. But the one that stands out was Game 5, going to Cleveland [in 2008] and him calling us in for a meeting and saying ‘Go up there and win this one for me. I don’t care what happens in the series, just go up and win this one game in Cleveland for me.’ We were able to rally together, and me being able to hit a huge shot going down the stretch to put us over the top, it was special. I got a phone call later that night just telling me like he always told us, how proud he was of me. That was special.”
Another memory was Butler’s contract: “Him and Mr. [Ernie] Grunfeld had me in the office,and I had my mom and my family with me because I knew I wasn’t going to sign an extension, and he just said he wanted me to be here long-term. He gave me a five-year deal, millions of dollars, and I was able to take care of my family, myself for the rest of our lives, and it was a great time. He said, ‘You mean a lot to me. Mr. Grunfeld has told me a lot about you. You mean a lot to this franchise. I’ve got a lot of confidence in you, and I like your game so much that you know what I’m going to do for you? I’m going to give you a quarter of a million dollars everytime you make the All-Star game.’ I was like, really? We just had a great relationship. He just had that confidence and faith in me before I’d stepped foot on this court. That’s why i’d do anything for this organization, run through a brick wall. Whatever needs to be done, I’ll do it.”
Perhaps more than any other player, including Antawn Jamison, Butler wears the state of the team on his face, good or bad. Although he might appear stone-faced, it’s not hard to see how he’s really feeling. That was apparent this afternoon as Butler talked of Pollin’s competitiveness, and his willingness to make an appearance at training camp even as disease destroyed his body.
“It’s always special because you know he’s coming and as long as I’ve been here, he’s never missed a training camp. Obviously this year was no different. He was very sharp, still very aware of what was going on, and this was his pride, his passion, his basketball team. Any speaking engagement he had, he always talked about championship, and returning to the glory days. My experience this summer of going to china with Wes Unseld Sr. and talking about the history of this franchise, we’re definitely going to get back there. That’s the goal. Obviously we’ve gotten off to a slow start, weathering adversity that we’ve been going through on and off the court, we need to stay together and move forward. That’s the right thing to do. And Mr. Pollin wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
Should Pollin’s death serve as inspiration for the Wizards to fulfill his final dream of another championship?
“Yes and no,” said Butler. “Because as much as he cared about this franchise and us winning and moving forward, everybody knows that’s what he would’ve wanted. For us to continue to build and have success. This was his baby, he built it from the ground up. He wanted another championship. He put us together. He loved all of us, but myself, Gil and Antawn, like sons, and he kept us together and he wanted us to be together for a reason, and that’s to bring something special to Washington.”
It was no surprise to see Butler keep his emotions in check. It was also easy to tell when he finally reached the breaking point without quite crossing it.
“It’s no replacing Mr. Pollin,” said Butler. “It’s no replacing him. We lost a great, great man. Great pillar in the community. There’s no replacing him.”
